Fluid door-controller.



N. mm, FLUID DOOR CONTROLLER APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1913.

u Patented June 2, 1914.

INVENTOR. Em'wmwm MMLQ UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD N. MILLS, OF SAN FRANCISCO. CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR. BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS. T WESTERN DOOR CONTROL COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FLUID DOOR-CONTROLLER.

Patented June 2, 1914.

Application filed June 30, 1913. Serial No. 776,569.

Door-Cont rollers, oi. which the following is i a specification.

Means heretofore adopted for avoiding shock or ]ai from the closing ol' doors,

to one end of a. coiled spring 32, the other end of which is fixedly secured.

When used for controlling elevator or other doors the lever 29 is preferably auto matically operated by a shoe connected to m a head p9 of a piston rod 38 of a piston 37 in a cylinder 36, said head 39 being adapted i to engage said stud 31, said piston being especially those of elevators, have heretofore not been found to be compatible with a rapid closure thereof.

It IS the olnect of my invention to proadapted to be actuated by compressed air admitted by a pipe 42, controlled by a three-way valve 43, and to be returned to its normal posit-1011 by a coiled spring 44 around the piston rod 38. When, with this i latter construction, the operator desiresto vidc means whereby the total time occlr i 43 to such a position that the pipe 42 is dispied in the closing of the door may be very small, and yet no shock or loud noise will be experienced at the instant of final closure.

In the accompanyinpdrawing, Figure 1. is a broken side elevation of my apparatus applied to a door, certain parts being connected to a. piston 13 therein.

shown in section; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the controlling cylinder thereof.

Referring to the drawino', t indicates a door, adapted to travel on rollers 2 and to be actuated by a lever 3, pivoted at 4. Said lever is formed with a slot 5, into which extends a roller 6, on a stud 7, screwed into a block 8, slidable on parallel guides 9, adapted to be secured above, and parallel with, the top of the door. Into said block is screwed an end of a piston rod ll, passing through one end of a cylinder 12. and The heads It) of said cylinder are hollow, and are formed with transverse upward extensions 14, with which severally communicate through non-return valves l5 conduits 16 leading respectively from ports 17, in a bed h (it a chamber 19 for a slide valve 20, said bed 18 being secured upon aside oi the cylinder. in said bed, bctweeh said ports 1.7, is a port 21, communicating with an exhaust conduit 22 leading to an exhaust pipe 23. The valve chamber 19 is connected by a pipe 24; with a source of supply of pressure fluid, such as compressed air: The slidevalve 20 in said valve chaniber 19 can slide over the ports 17 and 2t, and is connected to a valve rod 96, which moves through a guide 27 and the outer end of which is con nected to one end oi. a rod 23, of which the.

pressed air enters the right-hand end of the other end is connet'zted to a lever 29, pivoted at 30, and carrying a stud 3] in line with 5 the piston rod ll, said lever being attached nieation with the open the door, he turns the three-Way valve connected from tlicatmosphere and connected to a source of supply of compressed air, so that said an is admitted to the cylinder-36,

and the piston 37 therein is pushed out- 75,

causes the valve 20 to be moved to the right, 30

admitting compressed air from the valve chamber 19 to the conduit 16 on the left. and

to the left-hand end of the cylinder l2, at the same time connecting the port 17 on the right with the port 21, so that the right 35 hand end of the cylinderis open to the at mosphere by means of the conduit 16, ports 1T-and 21 and conduit 22. The compressed air then admitted propels the. piston l3- t0 the. right, causing the block 8 to slide upon no the guides 9. rocking the lever 3 and opening the door 1. The slide valve remains in this position, and compressed air is admitted to the left-hand end of the cylinder and the right-hand end is open to the atmosphere 9 5 so long as pressure is applied by the head of the rod 38 to the stud 31 against the action of the coiled spring" 44. But as soon as the operator turns the three-way valve 43 so as to connect the pipe 42 with the atmosphere too and disconnect it from the sour ce of supply of compressed air, then-the spring 44 operates to withdraw the head 39 ot the rod 38 I from the stud 31, and the coiled sprin 32 acts to move, the lever '29 so thatthe r0 26 moves to the left far enough to shift'the slide valve 20 to a point such that com cylinder and its left-hand end is in c0mmuatmosphere, whereupon the piston is propelled to the left, closing the door at a v 'siii"e"in'o1ieeiid of the'cylindersjis reduced.

. provide,"opening By reason of the said valve at the other endiofthe 'cylinderthe :iir pressuredn said other entity weuldbegln to increase, if provision weren'otjmade for *reventingthis'in 'cre'ase'," 'Such immediate increase of the air pressure" is notfde'sirable', as it would begin to check too rapidly the speed of the"do'or in the finalporti'on of its p th; l'th erefo're into "each "conduit 1'6, a short conduit 35 leading from the adjacent ortion of th'e'c'ylin'der'zind 'conn-olledty 'n non-return 'v'alve e0; Consequently thepressureof the air in each end of thecyli'nder cani pressed, thef I liquid in not in said end untihsgiid piston has ipa'ssed 's'aid conduit 40. fFurthern orep'i'ii order to begin' 'to rise'as'the piston is'approachregulate thera te at which the pressure incr ee'sesfprovide, leading ,to e'zi'ch' conduit 16 'betWeen the c'o'nduit' lO 'and'the non-return 'yalv'eis, -"shm tfconduit controlled by a needle alve'50. I Through this conduit 45 a; portion"of"the air Which'is beingcommagnitude" bf which can be regulated by adjustingftlie needleyalve, escapes, thereby reducing, to afgr''atenor less extent as; may be d''sired' tli' "rate Lat which the air Y isflcompress'ed in the "corre- "sponding end," of the- 'c'ylinderl When the 'pistjmr has passed the con' duit 4 5, the residfined' Within the end the "ual'oiriis con cylinder toward which the piston-1s Yapvp'ro a'ching and servs'a'sa cush'io'n 'tjo'arr'est the movement of the pi's't on"witliout' shock 'or' jaiinj" lls 'an additional mezins 'for avoiding'shock or'jar I inclo'se in' the'cylinder, on each side of'the piston, equal quantitiesof "any suitable liquid, having'found in practice that castor oili'shn'xcellent'liquid'for the purpose, it'being desirable that the liquid 'should not readily be vaporized, oi separated into constituent .eleinents', thatdts fiuidity should not be so great asto cause it tosplash ltoo'rcadily, and that it's viscosity should not be so great as to seriously increase the power required to movement of the piston, the level of the front of it rises, and .when thepiston arrives at the end of the cylinder it is met by a cushion. of the liquid, which in p hen the pistonis -moving either to the right or to the left, the rod 11 arrives position in which the 'slide valve Kl-closes secured tolhe slidable block operate the piston. With each turn is supported by a cushion of air under great pressure... f idicates a, fillingtube for said liquid, and 67 drain cocks therefor. By reason ofthe lIIlPIOYGQ'lDQQJBS-\KlllCl] provided for the cushioning the piston at the end of each stroke, 1 have found that vtheipistiontmay be propelled at averyhigh velocity during the greater portion of its stroke, "and yet 'brought to a state of rest in a very short time without any shock or jar. For instance,I have found thzit' the time occupied in'closing the elevator may be reduced to one-quarter of a second, andyet the final closure will be efiected without shock, j er, and practically no'iselessly.

"In order toprerent the doorfrom being opened'tyithout authority, there is pivotedat 56 upon the slide block 8 u latch-'57 having a finger SSada'pledto enter an aperture 59 in a guide-W'ay 61, thereby locking-the door 1. In a'devlce of the character described;

the"combination of a e linder a iston thereon, conduits "for fluid'to the respective ends ofthe' cylinder, 3 non-return valve in each conduit, outlet conduits'leading from the cylinder between 'jth'e middle portion of'the stroke of the piston therein and the ends thereof each to the corresponding inlet conduitbetween the non return valve and the source "of supply of pressure fluid, and a non retu'rn valve in each outlet conduit, I f i "2. In a device of tho'ohara'cter described, the combination of a substantially horizontal eylindenn piston therein, liquid inthe cyljinder"on each sidev of the piston, conduits above the cylinder and connected with the respective ends fo'rsupplying pressure fluid thereto, controlling means for alternately "supplying one of said conduits with pressure fluid and connecting, the other with the iitniosphere, 'duit in close proximity to its connection \vitli'tlie cylinder, an each "terniinal'portion 'of the cylinder to that one of the above-named conduits leading thereto, and a non r'eturn vzilve therein.

3. lira device of ith'e character' described, tlie'conibination of a substantially horizontal cylinder, at pistontherein. liquid in the 1 cylinder on each sidelof the piston, conduits above the cylinder and connected with the respective ends for. supplying pressure fluid conducting pressure thereto, controlling means for elte rna'tely outlet conduit from atmosphere, -d111t in close proximlty to its connection supplying one of said conduitsvvith pres sure fluid and connecting the other Withthe e non-return valve in each com with thecylinder, an outlet conduit from each terminal portion cf thecylincler to that one of the above-namedconduitsleading thereto, a nonreturn valve therein, and an adjustable vent between each outlet conduit and said connection adjacent thereto.

4. In a device of the chm-eater described, the" combination of a substantially horizontal cylinder, a piston thereiin liquid in the cylinder on each side of the piston, conduits above the cylinder and connected with the respective ends for supplying pressure fluid In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 25 n my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' EDWARD N. MILLS. Witnesses. FRANCIS M. WRIGHT,

D. B. RICHARDS, 

